Clayton State women’s cross country finishes 3rd at GSU Invitational Saturday
Hampton, GA – The Clayton State women's cross country team ran its second meet of season and posted a third place finish in the GSU Cross Country Invitational at Nash Farm Battlefield in Hampton, GA.
For the second week in a row, sophomore Racquel Valadez, a transfer from Oklahoma City University, led the Lakers in the meet finishing sixth overall with a time of 16:07 in the 4K race. Georgia State's Katharine won the meet with a time of 14:46.
"Racquel once again led us into the finish chute with a Top 10 finish, moving up nicely in the last half of the race," said head coach Mike Mead. "
NCAA Division I host Georgia State won the event, scoring 15 points, followed by Emory with 45 points and Clayton State with 75 points. SCAD rounded out the field with 115 points.
"We continued to run strong as a team, but it did not necessarily equate in the team scores today because of the small field size," said Mead. "Again, we got out fast the first mile, while the course and humidity put a dent in our efforts. This is not an easy course."
Behind Valadez, senior Paige Galvin finished 17th for Clayton State with a time of 16:36, followed by junior Samantha Walling in 22nd at 16:43.
"Paige (Galvin) and Sam (Walling) continued to race consistently while it was good to have Maia (Kuhnen) back who has shown improvement from last season," said Mead.
Sophomore Jessica Smith and sophomore Maia Kuhnen rounded out the scoring for Clayton State with 25th and 27th place finishes at 17:03 and 17:11, respectively. Freshman Taylor Galvin placed 30th for the team with a time of 17:44, in front of junior Gisele Javois in 33rd at 18:08. Kendra Wilson and Holly McNorton finished 38th and 39th with times of 18:44 and 18:53.
"Jessica (Smith) had an off race, but nothing to worry while Taylor (Galvin) made gains from last week's race," said Mead. "Gisele (Javois) had another solid effort, while Kendra (Wilson) and Holly (McNorton) were able to better handle the humid conditions."
Clayton State will take next week off before returning to action on Saturday, September 22nd for the Falcons Classic at Montevallo.
